This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A variety of fittings or couplings are used to connect tubing, containers, syringes, and other devices in radiopharmacies, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Unfortunately, these fittings or couplings often break during usage, thereby spilling or wasting fluids passing through the particular fitting or coupling. For example, the fluid may include a patient's blood, a radiopharmaceutical, a contrast agent, or another drug being administered to the patient. One common source of breakage occurs between male and female fittings due to over tightening or over extending the fittings with respect to one another. For example, as a user couples the male and female fittings together, the user may extend the male and female fittings beyond a point of sufficient clearance resulting in compressive or tensile forces between the male and female fittings. Eventually, the over tightening or over extending between the male and female fittings can lead to critical forces or stress, which causes the male and/or female fitting to break. Again, this breakage can result in fluid spillage and delays in the particular medical procedure. For example, some medical procedures involve injecting a drug, contrast agent, or radiopharmaceutical at a particular physiological condition of a patient e.g., a specific heart rate. Thus, the forgoing breakage can detrimentally affect or delay the medical procedure, particularly in time sensitive medical procedures.